NameCensus.

UK surname

Mortimer

From the Old French "mort mer," meaning "still water" or "dead sea," likely referring to someone living near a stagnant pool.

In the 1881 census there were 6,250 people recorded with the Mortimer surname, ranking it #691 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 8,476, ranked #779, down from #691 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Birstall and Aberdeen and Old Machar. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wiltshire, Leeds and Kirklees.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mortimer is 9,060 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 35.6%.

1881 census count

6,250

Ranked #691

Modern count

8,476

2016, ranked #779

Peak year

1999

9,060 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mortimer had 6,250 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #691 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 8,476 in 2016, ranked #779.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 7,812 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Mortimer surname distribution map

The map shows where the Mortimer surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Mortimer surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Mortimer over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 3,390 #844
1861 historical 3,529 #801
1881 historical 6,250 #691
1891 historical 6,253 #743
1901 historical 7,760 #692
1911 historical 7,812 #660
1997 modern 8,798 #714
1998 modern 8,963 #731
1999 modern 9,060 #729
2000 modern 8,941 #737
2001 modern 8,723 #737
2002 modern 8,901 #739
2003 modern 8,750 #736
2004 modern 8,722 #742
2005 modern 8,523 #747
2006 modern 8,447 #752
2007 modern 8,537 #751
2008 modern 8,535 #757
2009 modern 8,677 #764
2010 modern 8,828 #767
2011 modern 8,640 #775
2012 modern 8,548 #765
2013 modern 8,717 #761
2014 modern 8,761 #768
2015 modern 8,582 #771
2016 modern 8,476 #779

Geography

Back to top

Where Mortimers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Birstall, Aberdeen and Old Machar and Bradford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wiltshire, Leeds and Kirklees. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Birstall Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Aberdeen and Old Machar Aberdeen
5 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wiltshire 021 Wiltshire
2 Wiltshire 028 Wiltshire
3 Leeds 102 Leeds
4 Wiltshire 040 Wiltshire
5 Kirklees 005 Kirklees

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Mortimer

These lists show first names that appear often with the Mortimer surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Mortimer

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mortimer, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Mortimer surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Mortimer household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Mortimer is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mortimer is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mortimer falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mortimer is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Mortimer, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Mortimer

The surname Mortimer originated in England and France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French words "mort," meaning "dead," and "mer," meaning "sea" or "lake." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a stagnant, or "dead," body of water.

The earliest recorded instance of the Mortimer name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Mortemere." This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

One of the most famous early bearers of the Mortimer name was Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March (1287-1330), a powerful English nobleman who played a significant role in the conflict between King Edward II and his queen, Isabella of France. Mortimer eventually seized power and governed England as the de facto ruler until his execution in 1330.

Another notable Mortimer was Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March (1391-1425), who was a claimant to the English throne during the latter stages of the Hundred Years' War. He was captured by the Welsh rebel Owain Glyndŵr and held captive for several years before being ransomed.

In the literary realm, John Mortimer (1923-2009) was a renowned English novelist, playwright, and screenwriter, best known for creating the character of the curmudgeonly barrister Horace Rumpole in the "Rumpole of the Bailey" stories.

The Mortimer name has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Mortimer's Cross in Herefordshire, where a decisive battle took place during the Wars of the Roses in 1461, and Mortimer's Hole, a natural underground cave system in Shropshire.

Other notable individuals with the Mortimer surname include Emily Mortimer (born 1971), an English actress known for films like "Shutter Island" and "Mary Poppins Returns," and Roger Mortimer (1909-1991), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire and captained the English national team.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Mortimer families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mortimer surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 1,843 Mortimers recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.04x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,843 3.04x
Middlesex 661 1.08x
Lancashire 337 0.46x
Surrey 304 1.02x
Wiltshire 297 5.50x
Aberdeenshire 267 4.72x
Devon 253 1.99x
Gloucestershire 203 1.69x
Hampshire 169 1.35x
Suffolk 160 2.15x
Kent 102 0.49x
Norfolk 100 1.06x
Buckinghamshire 95 2.57x
Glamorgan 91 0.86x
Berkshire 86 1.88x
Angus 81 1.43x
Somerset 78 0.79x
Essex 71 0.59x
Durham 70 0.39x
Lanarkshire 67 0.34x
Northamptonshire 64 1.11x
Leicestershire 62 0.92x
Midlothian 57 0.70x
Sussex 57 0.55x
Oxfordshire 54 1.43x
Nottinghamshire 51 0.62x
Warwickshire 50 0.32x
Pembrokeshire 47 2.42x
Cheshire 39 0.29x
Dorset 37 0.92x
Hertfordshire 29 0.69x
Staffordshire 28 0.14x
Worcestershire 28 0.35x
Cornwall 26 0.38x
Monmouthshire 24 0.54x
Fife 23 0.64x
Northumberland 22 0.24x
Banffshire 20 1.58x
Bedfordshire 17 0.54x
Shropshire 17 0.32x
Cambridgeshire 14 0.36x
Morayshire 14 1.48x
Channel Islands 12 0.66x
Nairnshire 12 6.44x
Derbyshire 11 0.12x
Berwickshire 10 1.35x
Cumberland 10 0.19x
Stirlingshire 10 0.44x
Brecknockshire 9 0.74x
Renfrewshire 9 0.19x
Carmarthenshire 8 0.31x
Royal Navy 8 1.10x
Westmorland 8 0.60x
Kincardineshire 7 0.94x
Lincolnshire 5 0.05x
Dunbartonshire 4 0.24x
Ayrshire 3 0.07x
Huntingdonshire 3 0.25x
Isle of Man 3 0.26x
East Lothian 2 0.25x
Herefordshire 2 0.08x
Inverness-shire 2 0.11x
Orkney 2 0.30x
Ross-shire 2 0.12x
Anglesey 1 0.09x
Buteshire 1 0.27x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.07x
Flintshire 1 0.06x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 108 Mortimers recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.16x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 108 3.16x
Cleckheaton 91 40.81x
North Bierley 85 26.01x
Bradford 82 5.60x
Gomersal 79 27.96x
Bowling 77 12.84x
Lambeth 74 1.39x
Portsea 70 2.85x
Broughton Gifford 62 483.62x
Horton In Bradford 62 6.56x
St Marylebone London 54 1.66x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 52 4.91x
Batley 52 9.04x
Trowbridge 52 21.78x
Liversedge 49 18.18x
Aberdeen Old Machar 48 4.06x
St Pancras London 48 0.98x
Manningham 46 6.17x
Hunslet 41 4.34x
Islington London 39 0.66x
Oldham 39 1.67x
St George In East 39 9.39x
Dundee 38 1.80x
Kensington London 38 1.12x
Hackney London 37 1.08x
Bromley London 35 2.60x
Heckmondwike 34 17.46x
Armley 33 12.36x
Shipley 32 10.19x
Leicester St Margaret 31 1.88x
Minchinhampton 31 32.48x
Sheffield 30 1.56x
St George Hanover 30 3.76x
Shoreditch London 27 1.02x
Govan 26 0.53x
Bethnal Green London 25 0.94x
Birmingham 25 0.49x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 25 2.22x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 25 0.76x
Glasgow 25 0.71x
Paddington London 25 1.11x
Peterhead 25 8.36x
Ipswich St Peter 24 23.96x
Sculcoates 24 2.50x
Soothill 24 10.98x
West Ham 24 0.90x
Clerkenwell London 23 1.60x
Wimbledon 23 6.88x
Brightside Bierlow 22 1.85x
Meltham 22 23.37x
Morley 22 6.99x
Stainland Cum Old 22 21.24x
Bramley In Bramley 21 9.06x
Bury 21 2.54x
Drighlington 21 23.81x
Hammersmith London 21 1.40x
Newton Abbot St Mary 21 19.69x
Nottingham St Mary 21 0.99x
Thorne 21 27.97x
Croydon 20 1.21x
Dewsbury 20 3.22x
Eccleshill 20 13.58x
Headingley Cum Burley 20 5.13x
Much Hoole 20 164.61x
Newington 20 0.89x
Bitton 19 18.22x
Chelsea London 19 1.03x
Holbeck 19 4.74x
Holy Trinity 19 1.31x
Wortley In Bramley 19 3.96x
Camberwell 18 0.46x
Marlingford 18 368.10x
Bermondsey 17 0.93x
Bristol St Paul In 17 5.33x
Liff Benvie 17 1.98x
Llanwonno 17 4.45x
Huddersfield 16 1.81x
Ipswich St Margaret 16 6.34x
Wakefield 16 3.44x
Woodborough 16 192.77x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Mortimer surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 365
Sarah 198
Elizabeth 195
Jane 116
Ann 110
Emma 95
Hannah 95
Alice 89
Ellen 88
Annie 85
Eliza 74
Martha 73
Emily 50
Margaret 42
Maria 41
Edith 40
Florence 40
Harriet 40
Louisa 39
Ada 34
Kate 34
Charlotte 30
Lucy 28
Caroline 27
Clara 27
Fanny 26
Catherine 22
Julia 21
Susannah 20
Rose 19
Agnes 18
Isabella 18
Anne 16
Harriett 16
Susan 16
Laura 15
Amy 14
Jessie 14
Rebecca 14
Sophia 14
Elizth. 13
Grace 12
Lizzie 12
Mabel 12
Matilda 12
Ruth 12
Ethel 11
Frances 11
Esther 10
Minnie 10

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Mortimer surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 329
John 318
George 188
James 148
Thomas 140
Charles 112
Henry 98
Joseph 86
Edward 64
Samuel 61
Alfred 57
Arthur 57
Robert 54
Frederick 50
Richard 50
Walter 47
Harry 42
Albert 41
Ernest 33
Frank 32
Herbert 24
David 23
Fred 21
Edwin 18
Francis 18
Benjamin 17
Joshua 15
Thos. 13
Wm. 13
Hugh 12
Percy 12
Tom 11
Sidney 10
Alexander 9
Matthew 9
Philip 9
Edgar 8
Jesse 8
Abraham 7
Chas. 7
Eli 7
Fredrick 7
Mark 7
Peter 7
Stephen 7
Willm. 7
Wilson 7
Daniel 6
Jas. 6
Jno. 6

FAQ

Mortimer surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mortimer surname in 1881?

In 1881, 6,250 people were recorded with the Mortimer surname. That placed it at #691 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mortimer surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 8,476 in 2016. That gives Mortimer a modern rank of #779.

What does the Mortimer surname mean?

From the Old French "mort mer," meaning "still water" or "dead sea," likely referring to someone living near a stagnant pool.

What does the Mortimer map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Mortimer bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.